Every January and February, shops throughout China are packed with all sorts of knick-knacks themed around one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac — the one about to begin its reign. For weeks, that creature becomes an omnipresent decorative motif.
This year, it’s the horse. On February 17, Chinese people around the world will welcome the Year of the Horse, the zodiac sign associated with hard work. And a defective horse toy has emerged as an unexpected darling during the festive season.
The toy in question was originally designed to smile, but a factory error stitched its mouth upside down, leaving it with a permanently sad expression. The horse seems overworked.
An accidental icon
The history of the “996 labubu” begins in Yiwu, a city in eastern China known as the world’s capital of small commodities. At a factory named Happy Sister, workers were rushing to deliver stuffed toys representing the year’s zodiac sign, as they do each year. Perhaps due to all the pressure of tight deadlines, a mistake was made, and the toy’s mouth was sewn upside down. Instead of a smile, the result was a sad face; the nostrils even resemble tears.
The defective toy was surprisingly well-received, though. Instead of requesting refunds, customers began sharing photos of it online, and the images quickly went viral on REDNote (China’s Instagram-like platform). Many are saying the toy reflects the emotional state of the country’s tech workers, worn down by the 996 culture — working from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week. Almost overnight, the Happy Sister factory was receiving thousands of orders for the defective toy.
“I haven’t bought a sad toy yet, but I think it’s the perfect gift for a coworker,” says Kay Dong, a Content and Marketing Manager based in Shenzhen, the prosperous, modern city often referred to as China’s Silicon Valley. “It’s kind of a ‘we’re in this together’ joke to survive the workday.”
Dong explains that the toy’s popularity is also rooted in language. “In China, we have this slang where we call ourselves ‘Niúmǎ’ [牛马], which means ‘cattle and horses.’ It’s how young people self-deprecatingly describe themselves as ‘beasts of burden’ for their companies. When we see that horse’s face, we don’t see a factory error. We see our own reflection after a 12-hour shift!”
The 72-hour work week
In China, the 996 system has been associated with cases of sudden death, including reported incidents involving employees at companies such as ByteDance and e-commerce giant Pinduoduo. Despite the backlash, many tech companies still expect their employees to work overtime on a regular basis. Working late hours is still regarded as a sign of commitment, and in fact, the pressure to deliver results makes it difficult to avoid these long hours.
Dong has firsthand experience, having previously worked at a fast-paced tech startup in Shenzhen. She reflects: “When you’re stuck in that ‘9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week’ grind, there’s this huge pressure to always look ‘positive’ and ‘productive.’ This toy kind of breaks that mask. It’s like saying, ‘It’s okay to be sad, it’s okay to be tired, and it’s okay to not be a perfect employee.’”
For Dong, the toy’s viral success reflects a shift: people are tired of striving for perfection and are eager to celebrate authenticity, flaws and all. “We’d rather have something flawed and ‘real’ that actually gets our feelings. Netizens here think the horse is adorable and super relatable. A lot of people are buying them not just for themselves, but for their ‘work besties’ so they can all have a little ‘sad horse’ squad at their desks.”
According to The Guardian, the employee who made the mistake at Happy Sister was never identified. As a result, the factory owner, Zhang Huoqing, is awarding a bonus to all employees. Good things can definitely come from making mistakes at work.
“The toy is definitely a weird way to find peace amid work stress,” Dong concludes. “But hey, if a defective horse helps us laugh at the chaos, I’m all for it!”
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